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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 20th Feb 2017 at 10:47 AM
Default Laptop HDD+SSD Sims2
Hello, I'm going to replace my 8+ years old laptop and I have a few questions.

I'm not just looking for a laptop which can run the Sims 2, I'd like one that can run it smoothly, no lagging on high res, with reflection, shadows, snow... on. I'd like to be able to have a few GB of CC, and some things like high poly trees for neighborhood deco and new skies. I'd like to be able to have neighborhoods with lots of deco and the game still running smoothly. I'd mostly like to be able to play on the biggest lots with gardens full of plants and trees, and houses full of clutters on every surfaces. Also with large families like 12 sims or more, half of them witches with their pets, and a bunch of non magical pets as well. I'd like for the game to not slow or stutter when I move the camera around, swithches sims or level of the house. I'd like the game to run as smoothly on big lots with large families as it does on the smaller lots with only one or two sims. (Wow, I didn't mean to write that much...)

I found this laptop : ASUS R558UQ DM519T Windows 10 64bits
Intel Core i5 7200U 2.5GHz
RAM 8GB DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
HDD 1TB + SSD 128GB

1) Do you think this laptop will run the game like I'd wish? Is the Graphic Card good enough?
2) I have the game on CDs/DVDs and this laptop doesn't have a CD/DVD player, so I'll need an external one. Will this work? (Sorry if this is a stupid question)
3) I'm still not sure if I should get HDD+SSD or just HDD. If I get an HDD+SSD, Windows 10 and The Sims 2 will be installed on the SSD which will be disk C: and all the data including My Documents will be on the HDD, disk D:
So I'll have
C:\...\EAGAMES\... the game installed on the disk C:
and
D:\...\MyDocuments\EAGAMES\... the data of the game on the disk D:
So will the game be able to run like that? On two different disks?

I hope someone will be able to help me.
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Née whiterider
retired moderator
#2 Old 20th Feb 2017 at 11:43 AM
1) Those are good specs for TS2, yep. Check some benchmarks for the graphics card, since x40s are fairly low in the series - but given how old TS2 is I think you'll be fine. You may want some more RAM to speed up loading.

2) Yes, that will work fine. You can also contact EA customer support, and they will give you a free copy of Ultimate Collection if you prove that you have the CDs/DVDs (you'll have to do this if you have the old 4-disc basegame, as it doesn't work on Windows 10)

3) The game will work fine split between two drives like that. Buuut...

I would definitely get an SSD: it makes a huge difference to loading times. I have 6GB of CC and my game used to load in about 25 minutes on an HDD; on my SSD it takes about 3 minutes. The caveat is that in order to take full advantage of the improved loading times, you'll need to have your CC on the SSD.

I've got a 256GB SSD (C drive), so my setup is to have Windows 10 and TS2 installed on the C drive, and my default Documents location also on C; that just contains my TS2 folder and a few other game folders that I can't move. I've then added another Documents location on my E drive (HDD) to my Documents library, which contains all of my other Documents junk. I'd really recommend this, since it avoids cluttering up the SSD but also massively boost's TS2's loading times - including loading lots and neighbourhoods.

If you want to do this, though, you might want a bigger SSD. You wouldn't expect to need more than 128GB: after a year of use, my Windows 10 installation takes up 20GB (Windows tends to bloat over time), and TS2's install files are another 12.5GB; I've then got 23GB of stuff in my TS2 Documents locations, including a couple of testing environments and an old set of game files, plus backups. 55GB isn't much, right??
Problem is, there are still a disconcerting number of applications that can only be installed on the C drive - including anything from the Windows app store. I don't use the app store, but I still have 19GB of programs that could only be installed on the C drive (total 74GB), plus things like my fan controller, which I always install on the OS disk, because if the HDD they're on failed I'd be stuffed.
I've got 6GB of system volume info, including system restore points (total 80GB). There's 8GB of AppData, which you can move off the C drive but it's risky, again, because if the HDD you move it to fails or becomes unavailable, a lot of things will stop working (total 88GB) - and remember I mentioned that some other games put stuff in the default Documents location, whether you want them to or not? That accounts for another 7GB of stuff (total 95GB). I've got a Gig of driver installs on C, and then the paging file etc. take up another 9GB, but that should be a lot higher if I was following recommendations, which I'm not (this can also be moved off C, but that would impact performance). So now I'm up to 105GB - which would be cutting it pretty fine on a 128GB SSD.

You might be fine with a smaller SSD - some people are very very good at keeping their file storage trim (I'm pretty good at that, but not fantastic). But it's worth considering going up in capacity, because these things do tend to creep up on you; and even more so given that you're buying a laptop, which makes upgrading down the line more difficult.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 21st Feb 2017 at 11:28 PM
Thank you for answering and I'm sorry for not answering back sooner.

I checked some benchmarks. The graphic card is not one of the best and can't run newer games but it's really not too bad either. I just hope it can run The Sims 2 in high res on big lots with high poly clutters and lot of sims.
I'm surprised that I'd need more RAM, I thought 8GB would be enough, but if I choose this laptop I can add more, up to 12 or 16GB, I don't remember which.

I prefer to try my CD/DVDs first. I don't have Origin and I don't want it.

I've seen laptops with an 256GB SSD but it's not enough space for me, that's why I've looked at 128GB SSD +HDD. I'll have to look at the prices but I think if I want an 256GB SSD +HDD or a bigger than 256GB SSD alone that will be too expensive for me.
So I guess I'll have the game on the SSD and My Documents on the HDD. Do you think it'll still be faster this way than only with everything on an HDD (if the laptop doesn't hace an SSD ar all)?

Thanks again for your help. If someone else has any advice I'd love to read it.
 
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